[ Recite 1 Our Father - 10 Hail Marys - 1 Glory be to the Father ]

Kind Mother, did another Magnificat rise to your lips as you walked up the Temple steps to present Jesus to the Father? What must have been
your joy as you gave Jesus to Simeon! Were you expecting this man of God to prophesy the great things this Child would accomplish? Did you think he would shout throughout the Temple precincts, "The Lord has come"?

If you expected great things to be pronounced, was your heart torn by the realization that this Child was a sign of contradiction - destined for the rise and fall of many?

You did not fall beneath this bitter-sweet experience. The plan of God may not have been to your liking but you accepted it with all the love of your pure Heart.

Obtain for all parents, whose retarded children are specially chosen, like Jesus, to accomplish hidden works for the glory of God, the same courage you manifested in the Temple.

The Child of your womb was destined to be great but how few recognized that greatness. Give the parents of these special children a deep
realization of the power of their suffering. Let the suffering rise to heaven as a sweet smelling incense for the salvation of souls. Let the beauty of their souls, hidden from the eyes of men in this life, shine like bright stars in the glory of the Father's Kingdom.